Open Syndrome Suspected Case of Equine Encephalitis
Table of Contents
Authors: Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social
Location: Guatemala
Purpose #
The definition #
Toda persona que presente fiebre de inicio repentino, asociada a uno o más de los siguientes signos neurológicos: cefalea, desorientación, temblores, convulsiones, parestesias, o algún tipo de parálisis, somnolencia, alteración del estado de conciencia, estupor, rigidez de nuca y que hayan visitado regiones con presencia de équidos (caballos, asnos y mulas) o bien, haber sufrido picaduras de mosquitos en áreas con muerte de estos équidos sospechosos de padecer encefalitis equina.
Machine-readable definition #
The definition is available in JSON format following the Open Syndrome v1.0 specification:
{
"category": "suspected",
"definition_type": "case_definition",
"human_readable_definition": "Toda persona que presente fiebre de inicio\nrepentino, asociada a uno o más de los siguientes signos neurológicos: cefalea,\ndesorientación, temblores, convulsiones, parestesias, o algún tipo de parálisis,\nsomnolencia, alteración del estado de conciencia, estupor, rigidez de nuca y que hayan\nvisitado regiones con presencia de équidos (caballos, asnos y mulas) o bien, haber sufrido\npicaduras de mosquitos en áreas con muerte de estos équidos sospechosos de padecer\nencefalitis equina.",
"inclusion_criteria": [
{
"logical_operator": "AND",
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"name": "Sudden onset fever",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"logical_operator": "AT_LEAST",
"logical_operator_arguments": [
1
],
"name": "One or more of the following neurological signs",
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"name": "Headache",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Disorientation",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Tremors",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Convulsions",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Paresthesias",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Paralysis",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Somnolence",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Alteration of consciousness",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Stupor",
"type": "symptom"
},
{
"name": "Rigidity of neck",
"type": "symptom"
}
]
},
{
"logical_operator": "OR",
"name": "Travel history",
"type": "criterion",
"values": [
{
"name": "Visited regions with presence of equids (horses, donkeys and mules)",
"type": "epidemiological_history"
},
{
"name": "Suffered mosquito bites in areas with suspected equine encephalitis deaths",
"type": "epidemiological_history"
}
]
}
]
}
],
"keywords": [
"Equine encephalitis",
"North America"
],
"language": "English",
"location": "Guatemala",
"open_syndrome_version": "1.0.0",
"organization": "Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social",
"published_at": "2025-02-27T17:02:03Z",
"published_by": [
"Open Syndrome Initiative"
],
"published_in": "https://opensyndrome.org",
"references": [
{
"citation": "Protocolos de Vigilancia Epidemiológica Enfermedades Zoonóticas. Ministerio de Salud Pública y Asistencia Social. Guatemala. 2018.",
"url": "http://bvs.gt/eblueinfo/VS/VS_008.pdf"
}
],
"scope": "broad",
"status": "draft",
"target_public_health_threats": [
"Equine encephalitis"
],
"title": "Open Syndrome Suspected Case of Equine Encephalitis",
"version": "1.0.0"
}
Using the Definition #
Healthcare organizations can implement this definition through:
- Direct integration with surveillance systems
- API endpoints for real-time validation
- Manual case verification processes
Next Steps #
We encourage:
- Clinical feedback on the definition criteria
- Technical feedback on the implementation format
- Suggestions for additional symptoms or signs
- Reports of implementation experiences
Get Involved #
We welcome contributions and feedback from the community.